Miles Above
by Hero Redgrave
Summary: During the confrontation between Naruto and Nagato, Nagato chooses a different path to take. He doesn't place his faith in Naruto, not wanting to take the risk. He goes through with a plan he had devised when Madara made his intentions known.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach.  
><strong>Line Breaks: XxXxXxX**  
><strong>Techniques/Jutsus: Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu

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"I...will lift the curse. If any kind of peace exists I'll grab hold of it and never let go. I refuse to quit!" The words resounded as if they had a life of their own. Its effect seen by the reaction on the other two, but the most prominent reaction was the incredulity of Nagato.

"You...how did...?" Those words sounded familiar, intimate even, and to look at Naruto, someone who was so passionate about peace that it reflected the determination in his eyes, struck him speechless.

Naruto held up the book that their Sensei wrote, garnering the attention of the other two, and flipped through the pages until it was the last page, "This page is directed towards the pupil that gave him inspiration to write this novel..." Naruto looked at his fellow disciple, seeing the surprise slowly overwhelming his normally calm expression, "You helped inspire him Nagato..."

"It...It can't...it must be a coincidence!" Nagato wanted to deny it, desperately so, but was well aware of the futility in doing so as he slowly recalled the day he was conversing with their sensei and how he vowed to find peace.

"The name of the main character is this novel, it's Naruto! This name is his gift to me, and if I were to quit now I would disgrace him and everything he gave me! I'll become Hokage, and after I become Hokage I'll bring peace to every troubled land!" Naruto's eyes reflected his unwavering spirit as he proclaimed his ambition.

Passion and determination laced every single word that was uttered by Naruto, empowering them to be able to sway even the most stubborn of people. The way he stood so firmly for his belief, so confidently, it made Nagato start to believe, to hope. This young man in front of him had so much faith in himself and his goals. It was almost painful to look at, to see something that he had lost on the path to achieve his dream. He briefly wondered, when and where did he stray from his path?

"I...I want to believe you, to blindly put my faith in you, I really do. " Nagato's pierced, thin frame shook slightly; he faced downwards, ringed eyes shadowed by his bangs.

"Then believe in me! Someday I _will_ bring peace to this world! I can do it, I'll change this world and everyone can be at peace!" Naruto saw Nagato's reaction to his words and was satisfied that his fellow disciple was mulling over his words.

Nagato's shaking slowly stilled when Naruto was finished talking. After a moment of silence, Konan spoke up, curious as to what he would do,"Nagato?"

XxXxXxX 

Nagato was too engrossed in his own thoughts to hear her. It was inconceivable that he, the second-in-command of Akatsuki, would second guess himself. The self proclaimed God never thought the blond before him would be such a strong influence. Because of Naruto, Nagato was at a crossroad, both leading to what ultimately would define their future as well as the whole worlds. If he let the blond go he would definitely try to live up to his promise and attempt to herald in a new age of peace, but that idea would always be dwarfed by the chances of everything going absolutely wrong; it menaced every single positive outcome Nagato could think of. The menace would always appear in the form of the true leader of Akatsuki, Madara Uchiha. Letting Madara achieve his goal was definitely something Nagato wanted to avoid by all means, even at the cost of his own life. Going through with he what had in mind was the only way to permanently put a stop Madara's delusions, but it would be at the cost of everyone involved. In the end, it was either blind faith or cold logic. Narrowing it down between the two, Nagato chose what he had always stuck with, the mindset of a cold, calculating, and logical person. Nagato didn't make it this far simply by hoping and waiting on a wish, waiting for a better tomorrow. He used logic that got him out of struggles and death's embrace. He learned painful lessons from destruction and loss. It was from this that he survived to fight another day. He didn't hope someday peace would suddenly reign over the world, quelling violence and breathing life back into the meaning of being human. He had seen people blindly hope; it was a heartbreaking pitiful shame that they always tell themselves tomorrow would be better. In the end it was the same perpetual cycle of death and hate they fell victim to. That was why, he concluded, that the only logical and viable solution was to go through with his plan. Regret and guilt festered restlessly within him as he began; there was no looking back now, no hesitation. He was going to dim this beacon of light in such a dark world...

XxXxXxX 

Konan was somewhat surprised as she never expected her close friend to actually contemplate Naruto's words. Was he really going to put his faith into their fellow pupil? Before she could dwell on the matter any further, Nagato's voice caught her attention.

"I...Naruto, I can't simply believe that you will accomplish where Sensei and I have tried but failed. I have been through so much pain and loss, you're asking too much from me Naruto. I want to believe that you can change the world for the better someday, but I..." Nagato trailed off, his voice was strained, giving away the internal war that had been waging within him. He felt the weight of the world resting atop his shoulder.

Konan walked towards her only friend. Once she stood in front of him, Konan brushed aside his red bangs as she looked at his face, seeing the emaciated visage that was contorted with a variety of emotions. Her hand tenderly cupped his face, bringing slight comfort in her touch. He opened his eyes and looked at her, showing her the regret that whirled in those ringed eyes. Her concerned actions brought a very slight smile to his pale blood caked lips before he nodded to her. She realized what his answer would be and looked closer, trying to find any hesitation but to no avail. She retracted her hand and slowly paced backwards a few feet from Nagato. Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds more before it flickered towards Naruto, who had been standing there, patiently waiting for a response. Her beautiful face was set into solemn expression before setting itself into a neutral one, giving nothing away. Any course of action her friend would take, she would follow to the end even if it killed her.

With a heavy heart Nagato spoke up, his voice soft but leaden with something Naruto couldn't quite place, "When you told me with such conviction that you aspired to live up to Sensei's goal of world peace, I felt hope. You've been a significant influence in the short amount of time we've met." Nagato raised his head, face set with grim determination, "You tell me to have faith, but it's a luxury that I simply cannot and will not spare. For what it is worth...I'm sorry. "

As soon as Nagato finished, chakra rods shot out of his walker, piercing through unsuspecting blonds' body and chakra pathways, effectively rendering him unable to fight or mold chakra.

Nagato spoke up, his eyes focused solely on Naruto,"You tell me that someday you'll change this world plagued with wrongs and right them. Someday people will reach a mutual understanding with one another. Someday differences can be set aside for the greater good...it's nothing more than a far off dream" Nagato looked tiredly at the impaled Naruto and whispered softly but enough to be heard, "I've ran out of "somedays", Naruto. I'm tired of dreaming."

"We've done what was needed Nagato, our mission here is complete, let's hurry back to Ame. Madara is expecting us." She looked at her friend expectantly, waiting for what he would do next.

He broke his gaze from Naruto's prone form and turned it towards his friend before speaking, "We're not going to take Naruto to Madara, Konan. Madara's dream isn't my dream; it has never been or ever will be." Nagato confessed softly. He didn't agree with living in an illusion of peace, living in a fake ideal world. How can he even trust a man that never even showed him his face? The prevention of Madara's plan coming to fruition was the only reason he joined the madman under the pretense of desiring the same goals.

Konan was caught off guard by his words but quickly recovered. Whatever he planned, she would go through with it, and she was only in the organization solely for his sake. She nodded towards him in acknowledgment, "Understood."

Nagato's partner looked towards the injured blond and asked, "What about Naruto? What plans do you have for him? We simply can't just kill him since the Kyuubi will simply reappear and the ensuing struggle to claim its power may cause a war to break out."

"Rest assured Konan, I know of such consequences. I plan to remove Naruto as well as the Kyuubi from this plane of existence. I won't kill him in the conventional sense. I will try something that has never been done before, but in order for me to do so I'll need your assistance."

She was somewhat perplexed at what he was getting at. Removing Naruto as well as the Kyuubi from this plane of existence but not outright killing him? How puzzling. Brushing aside anymore thoughts that could push her further into confusion, she complied and waited for his request.

"I'll need you to pick Naruto from off the ground and bring him to me."

As requested, Konan walked towards downed jinchuuriki and knelt to pick him up. The chakra rods left him incapacitated, making Konan's job easier. Gripping him by the shoulder, she heaved her fellow pupil up; ignoring the painful predicament he was in. She wrapped his left arm around her shoulder and walked to the waiting Nagato. The sound of his feet being dragged as well as his grunts of pain were the only noises heard as she hefted him towards the waiting Nagato.

XxXxXxX 

Naruto couldn't believe what was happening. It wasn't like before where he could overpower Nagato's chakra with the Kyuubi's and pull out the rod. There were too many rods pierced through him, resonating Nagato's chakra at different intervals, systematically canceling the Kyuubi's influence. His ability to manipulate chakra was nonexistent even if his hands were free. Naruto felt at that very moment, any future hope gone and along with it promises left unfulfilled. No one would be able to save him from this situation. After all of his efforts, he failed. There was nothing the blond could do now, but he wasn't going to resign himself to death so easily.

Naruto saw Konan walking towards him, every step deepened his despair. Was it really going to end like this? He felt her hands on his shoulder, pulling him up. The blond would have gasped in pain then and there if it hadn't hurt so much. He vaguely felt her put his left arm around her, only registering the fact that they were moving when the pain died down to a tolerable level. The haze of pain lingered slightly and he focused his sights on the man responsible for it. Before he could even muster a few words, he noticed Nagato's lifting his arm up, the calloused hand reaching toward his right eye. Naruto's eyes widened at the implications that the approaching hand gave him. The only thing he could do was to crane his neck and shake his head back and forth, a desperate attempt at delaying the inevitable.

"Hold his head steady Konan, I don't want him to fidget about while I do this."

Naruto felt her arm making its way around his head, putting him in a headlock. Her grasp on his head was surprisingly strong and firm, cutting off any attempts to break free. The headlock forced him to face forward and stare at the appendage that rested in front of his eye. Naruto felt Nagato spread his eyelids apart, slowing pushing his bony fingers into the blonds' eye socket.

XxXxXxX 

"Brace yourself, Naruto Uzumaki." Pain demanded Naruto's attention. His body tensed, frame shaking from the unspoken agony that made the impaled chakra rods pale in comparison. Through all this he never screamed, something that Nagato commended internally. Once he had a firm grasp around the azure orb, he pulled the eye out enough to fit it in his hand. Once it fit comfortably within his hold, he tore it out. Without bothering to look Naruto's eyeball in his hand, he casually flung it to the side, Naruto had a better eye now. Going back to the matter at hand, he began his own self mutilation and used the same procedure he used on Naruto. The pain was intense but it was nothing compared to previous injuries that he sustained throughout his life. With some effort he plucked out his revered eye, blood trailed down his hollowed cheek from torn blood vessels and nerves inside his eye socket. Using a few moments to recuperate and even out his breath, he gazed at his removed eye, not caring to staunch the blood flowing down his cheek like tears. He faced his bleeding counterpart and slowly reached for him, attempting to insert his eye into the blond's empty eye socket. Even though he prevented the Kyuubi from influencing Naruto, he had to insert the eye before the fox could completely mend the wound or else it would have to be reopened.

XxXxXxX 

Konan couldn't believe her eyes. Nagato had actually pulled the young blond's eye straight out from his eye socket. The mutilation wasn't just for Naruto alone; her friend did the same to himself, clenching his teeth as he pulled out one of his coveted eyes. The disbelief was heightened further by Nagato essentially giving the blond his eye. She felt the blond cringe within her grasp as the deed was done and the eye inserted. As her mind processed everything that happened, Konan couldn't help but question what this would accomplish.

"...Nagato?"

The tentative question was enough to cause her friend to break his gaze on the blond before him. Sparing her a glance, he complied with the unspoken request and elaborated on what he had in mind for the blond sage, his lone eye returning its gaze on Naruto as he began his explanation.

"By implanting my eye into him, I will be able to control his actions without needing to turn him into a corpse. With the chakra rods that impaled him, it will further my own influence on him. With this I will essentially make him one of my Paths, namely the Human Path. When I do, I will give up a portion of my soul and merge it with Naruto's soul to prevent myself from being summoned after my death. I will also need a portion of your soul as well; to stop anyone from discovering my methods and ensuring that any means to summon us back from the dead will be unsuccessful. Once our souls are successfully assimilated, I will remove his soul. When this is all said and done, I will burn his body, Konan. Only ashes will remain. Upon completing my task, I will use the Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu ( Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique ). It will force his soul to seek a different plane of existence since it has no body to return to. In whichever place it goes, his soul will be able to manifest itself and take shape, forever anchoring itself wherever it may go. After you have completed your task, you know what you must do, right? All three of us will die here..."

He could have excluded her from his plans so that she would live, but would she be able to live freely after all of this? Madara would most likely hunt her down zealously and maybe even scour through every nation even if she were to be unaware of what transpired here. If Madara caught her he would most likely kill her for the betrayal, and if she went through with this,it would result in her death. Both options led to an early demise. What could he do to prevent both scenarios? He wondered and thought hard but to no avail.

XxXxXxX

Konan was amazed by what her friend had planned. The amazement was short-lived though as Nagato bluntly told her of how all three would end up dead during the middle of his clarification. She knew the necessity of it. Even if she decided to leave afterward, it would be a life on the run. Dying here was more appealing than living on with the possibility of being captured by Madara. It would also make Nagato's and Naruto's sacrifice vain and defeat the whole purpose of this plan; to prevent Madara from acquiring the Kyuubi. In the end, it was either die now or die later. Strengthening her resolve, she replied to his question, "Yes Nagato, I'm well aware of the consequences of our actions." A grim smile adorned her beautiful face as those words were unflinchingly spoken, "I have no qualms about it, and I'd rather die here with you than at the hands of Madara. Besides, we've been through so much; it's an end I will gladly meet."

Nagato gave a sad smile as he heard her answer. The fact that she would accept to die with him was comforting and gave him relief, but her declaration also saddened him. Death was her only option no matter which one she picked. Some "God" he was, incapable of keeping his promise of making a peaceful world and unable to save his closest friend from death's cold embrace yet again. He shook his head, trying to shake off unnecessary thoughts about his inability do anything. It would do him no good acting like this. He had to deal with the task at hand. With a deep breath, he flared his chakra and the rods in Naruto resonated in response, commencing his takeover of Naruto's body. 

XxXxXxX

Helplessness, defeat, pain, and despair summed up what Naruto felt. Kyuubi would be no help at this point with all the rods disrupting attempts at calling on the tailed beast's power. He couldn't even move no matter how he tried. Only a bit of the Kyuubi's chakra managed to surface, but it was only to mend his new eye and abate the bleeding. In the moments of his being here, he already knew pain at an intimate level. At least the pain had dulled by the time Nagato explained himself. He only paid attention here and there, not bothering to focus on anything else. This was it; this was the end of the road for him. The only relief that Naruto found was that the Kyuubi wouldn't be extracted from him and used as a weapon against the people he cherished. It was a short-lived relief. A chakra flare was the only warning before darkness swarmed his vision.

XxXxXxX

The blond's posture became rigid in her grasp before it relaxed, giving them a clear indication of Nagato's success.

"Release him Konan. I will begin by taking a portion of your soul and assimilate it into him first."

Consenting to his request, she let the blond sage go and walked to the front of Naruto and positioned herself facing the now controlled Naruto. She looked at his face, noting that only his left eye was closed and the right eye, the Rinnegan, was still open. Giving her friend the signal that she was ready, Naruto's right arm moved and rested his hand on her head. A strange sensation overcame her and intensified as the pull on her soul became stronger. It was foreign feeling but it certainly was an interesting one. While Naruto's hand lifted from her head, she watched, fascinated as a portion of her soul was pulled out. Upon tugging enough out, Naruto used his other hand to rip a small fragment from it. Holding it in his left hand, he brought it up to his mouth and, before her disbelieving eyes, ate it. Instead of complicating matters by sealing her soul, Nagato made the teenager eat her soul in order to assimilate it...how unorthodox. Gathering herself, Konan internally remarked on how she felt normal, especially after having a fragment of her soul removed. Thinking nothing more of it, she turned her attention to Nagato, who was going through the same process she had.

XxXxXxX 

While Konan took in what had happened, Nagato prepared himself for the same procedure his friend went through. His soul was pulled out carefully, giving Konan a different perspective on how it was done. His soul went through the same process of being ripped and devoured. Feeling nothing out of the ordinary with himself, he moved onto the next phase. He released his hold over Naruto and the blond collapsed forward, unconscious. Konan managed to wrap her arm around his waist before he could hit the floor. She put his arm around her shoulders to keep him steady, making it easier for her friend to extract Naruto's soul. Nagato extended his arm and rested his hand on the young sage's head. Carefully, his soul was withdrawn from his body, effectively killing him. It wasn't a drawn out death, it was done swiftly and humanely. He felt a bit of grief after ending the blond's life, but it was a necessity, a means to further his plan. Even reasoning with himself didn't make his fellow disciple's death any less sorrowful. He gave the blond a few moments of silence before continuing on. The majority of the plan was completed and it was time to move on to finish everything up. He mobilized his walker and made way for the entrance, preparing to cremate the body.

"Take his body outside Konan."

Konan approached the corpse and calmly took out the protruding chakra rods one at a time. Once that was handled she turned him over and picked the cooling body up bridal style. After steadying herself with the extra weight, she walked outside. Walking a far enough distance to a clear, spacious opening where her friend was waiting, she bent down and placed the blond teenager on the ground. Konan distanced herself from the body, walking to a reasonable distance behind Nagato to avoid being scorched by Nagato's jutsu. The spot wasn't close to much foliage so it was safe to say they wouldn't start any fires that would give away their positions.

Nagato did the necessary hand signs for the Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu ( Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique ) and inhaled deeply, his chest expanding as he breathed in as much as possible. A red hot ball of fire erupted from his mouth, hungrily consuming the blond and anything around him in an instant. Nagato breathed out at a steady pace and concentrated the burst radius to a smaller point making the fire much more heated and potent. They heard the crackling of Naruto's skin as the fire charred the earth surrounding the burnt corpse. He stopped to quickly regain his breath and resumed immediately, not letting up the stream of fire. He was intent on leaving nothing but ashes behind. Sweat poured from his face caused a by exertion, but mostly the heat that radiated from the fire. After ten or so minutes passed, Nagato stopped. Not sparing himself a moment of rest, he used the rat hand seal and softly called out, "Doton: Ganban Kyū ( Earth Release: Bedrock Coffin )." The technique didn't have the normal chakra usage; only enough to summon two decently sized rocks to crush and grind any bones that remained. The only trace of the blond was the ash in front of them that was slowly blown away by a light wind, scattering his remains throughout the vast forest.

With his back towards Konan, he addressed his friend, "This is the end of the road, Konan, for the both of us..." He heard her cloak shuffling as well as her approaching footsteps. Konan stopped at his side, where she had been for the most part of their life, and put her hand on his shoulder. He turned to his friend and gave her a grateful smile. They were always there for one another through thick and thin. In response, he put his own hand on hers and squeezed it slightly. They were like that for a few seconds, both enjoying their last silent moment alive together. He nodded towards her as he lifted his hand, indicating that he was going to resume. Once she retracted her arm, he began using the hand seals for the Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu(Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique ). His chakra level dropped rapidly and his red hair started to thin and grey. As the jutsu progressed, so did his deterioration. He looked as if he were dying from malnourishment and starvation. His ribcage was more prominent than before and his eye was more sunken in along with his cheeks. He continued the jutsu until he spent his last amount of chakra. Upon completely exhausting his reserves of the life giving energy, his body slackened and his arms fell uselessly to the side.

XxXxX 

Konan looked on as her friend slowly died. She never looked away or flinched as his body became slack. It was time to do her part and prevent anyone from acquiring the Rinnegan or Nagato's blood. she wrapped her numerous exploding tags around her dead friend. When he was covered from head to toe, she made a thick paper sphere around the covered body and detonated it. Wanting no trace left to be exploited, the sphere caved in and another one was put up in its stead. The sphere that caved in was detonated as well. It was one detonation after another before she was satisfied with her thoroughness and stared at her handiwork; nothing of the body was left over, just a deep crater. Finally done with her task, Konan wrapped herself many times over, leaving her face free of paper. Feeling that there was an adequate amount of it to do the job, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relishing the feeling of being alive. She would reunite with her friend, wherever he was. She quickly detonated the exploding paper tags wrapped around her. The explosion encompassed her along with anything nearby. It rocked the surrounding trees and pushed them away from the epicenter, uprooting a few that were unfortunate enough to be at a close proximity. The blast had also kicked up a generous cloud of dirt, blocking the chaos from within. Slowly but surely it settled down, revealing a large sized crater. The depression in the earth would be enough to turn it into a decently sized pond. The only clue for the cause of the explosion was the tattered and charred remains of Konan's cloak that drifted lazily downwards like snow. Just like that, Konan ended her life.

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I have to say, this one took quite a while to write. I've had the idea in my head for a good while but I never really tried to type it out. It's also a redo of my other story 'Miles Above'. I enjoyed typing this and like it so far, but I've got a long ways away to be able to call myself a competent writer. There are mistakes here and there, but I've kept them as low as I can.

Please leave constructive criticism and thanks for reading.


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